Have you ever thought how wonderful it would have been to be one of Jesus’ disciples? Do you think that if you were with Jesus you’d never fear or stumble? Yeah, right. The disciples who had the privilege of being with Him went through the same things we go through. They struggled with faith, too. Remember when Jesus was sleeping in the boat during a storm? The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’” (Matthew 8:24-25). Like us, they faced times God seemed silent to their pleas and needs.
One can only imagine how tired Jesus was after ministering to and healing the crowds. He fell sound asleep in a rocky boat in the midst of a vicious storm. The disciples woke Him up anyway, asking that He save them because they were going to perish. “Jesus replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm” (Matthew 8:26).
How many times does it seem like we’re in an impossible storm and about to be overwhelmed. We call out to Jesus but it seems like He’s not there and not interested. Is He silent, sleeping? Remember what happened to the disciples when they managed to wake Him up and get His attention? He had absolutely no problem calming the storm. It was totally under His control. In fact, He rebuked them for their lack of faith. Obviously He was not going to let them drown even though it seemed that way to them. They did not have the resources to save themselves and He knew it. It was a great opportunity to trust Him but they failed.
When you follow Jesus, the storms will come. just because you get into the boat with him and are close to him does not mean you’re safe from the storms. And when storm come, it’s not our natural response to trust Him. Panicking at that which is out of our control is what comes naturally.
It’s common to feel alone in the boat when storms hit us. We feel Jesus’ closeness at times of worship and great events in our lives, but during storms? Somehow we think that storms should never come and we expect God to prevent all of them. But even with Him present in our lives, there will still be storms. The great lesson, though, is that when we call on Jesus, He always hears us. Sometimes He calms the storm, but other times He lets the storm rage while providing calm and peace inside of us if we trust in Him. He may not always stop the storm as quickly and clearly as He did for the disciples in the boat, but He is never more than a call away. God has control over everything. We don’t have to be afraid. Fear should not be our first response when we face something greater than us.
David also felt God was not hearing him. Psalm 22:2 says, “My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, by night, yet I have no rest.” David was full of anguish and despair, and he desperately needed God’s guidance and help. Psalm 42:1 says, “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you God.” This psalm is a lament by David who wants nothing more than to hear the voice of God over his life.
A man named Asaph (1 Chronicles 15:17-19, 16:5-7, 25:1, 25:6, 2 Chronicles 29:30) who was a contemporary of David, witnessed the challenging times Israel had experienced under Solomon and then King David. In Psalm 83:1 he says, “God, do not keep silent. Do not be deaf, God do not be quiet.”
Don’t expect that there will never be silence during the storms in your life. Don’t expect Jesus to prevent every storm, or even to calm them immediately. He is able to do that but not always willing because storms are for a reason. They are for our growth and His glory. They are opportunities for us to trust and for our faith to deepen. They are also a time for us to praise God for His protection and to have others see what a great God He is when they watch us trust Him and how He takes care of us. Besides, we have no idea how many storms He has prevented that we don’t even know about!
Have you just come through a storm? Maybe you’re still in one. It’s said that we’re either going into a storm, in one, have just come out of one. Which are you? What storms are you trusting Jesus in right now? Does He seem silent? Trust Him in the silence.
The most important thing to do when God seems silent is to not stop praying. Do not cut off the most important line of communication you have. Prayer invites God to have a conversation with you. It is a time when you can be brutally honest about your feelings. God’s prophet, Habakkuk, boldly asked God how long must he call for help (Habakkuk 1:2). David and Job boldly ask God where He is and when would He rescue them. Prayer is the place we can become desperate before God. We can lay out all our questions, thoughts, feelings and praises. When God seems silent in your life do not be afraid even if the silence sticks around. Remember that God still loves you and promises to never leave you.
I like the words of Oswald Chambers from his book “My Utmost for His Highest.” “When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible – with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation of truth.”
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But do not fear; I have overcome the world.”
How did you respond to the last storm that hit your life?
What would Jesus have said to you about your faith?
How can you apply that to your current, or next storm?
C
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
(India & Africa & Spanish Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)
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